Bargarh: Bargarh DFO Wednesday suspended two officials of the forest department after a probe for dereliction of duty in connection with the death of a leopard whose carcass was recovered from Damodarpada jungle in Debrigarh Sanctuary near Khajuria village under Bhatli police limits in this district.
The suspended officials are Kamgaon forester Parshuram Behera and Hajuripada forest guard Prabhashini Mahananda.
“During the probe, it was found that the two officials were not doing their duty properly. The action has been taken against the two for dereliction of duty,” the DFO said.
It may be noted here that the incident came to fore October 28 after forest officials of Hirakud Wildlife Division came across the decomposed carcass in a trench.
The carcass of the animal was spotted with its nails and teeth missing. Locals claimed it was killed by poachers. However, some said it was killed by timber mafia as they could not enter the forest to smuggle valuable timber with the animal around. So, they killed the animal.
While initially, reports suggested that the carcass was that of a Royal Bengal Tigress, the Forest and Environment Minister, Bijayshree Routroy, later clarified it was of a leopard.
Meanwhile, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has sought a report from the Odisha forest department on the death of an animal.
The NTCA has also sought report on the steps taken by the forest department on the incident and directed all to follow the standard operating procedure (SOP) in this regard.